Thursday, February 6, 2020 - 01:00
Sri Lanka’s contributions with respect to the Indian Ocean and the maritime realm has long been evident in a whole range of initiatives. Accordingly, as Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the vast Indian Ocean, the primary objective of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is to safeguard the nation’s maritime borders, and in conjunction with other Armed Forces, act to deter or defeat any threats or aggression against the territory, people or maritime interests of Sri Lanka, both in war and peace.
Having immensely contributed to the defeat of terrorism in the country, the Sri Lanka Navy continuously strives to stay a step ahead and through numerous naval exercises, keep up its readiness and capabilities to deal with any given situation. Therefore, one such exercise which commenced last year is the Colombo Naval Exercise (CONEX) which is conducted together with the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
CONEX 20 organised by the Sri Lanka Navy was conducted from January 28 to 30, in Colombo for the second consecutive year in the seas off Colombo, spanning three days. The exercise was augmented by Offshore Patrol Vessels and Fast Attack Craft of the Navy as well as MI 17 and Bell 412 helicopters of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
The naval exercise was held on par with international standard naval exercises, to improve operational readiness and training capabilities of naval personnel, in a bid to maintain maritime security in the region.
According to Navy Spokesman Lieutenant Commander Isuru Sooriyabandara, exercises of this nature will be crucial for the interoperability between sister services and expansion of capacity of both the Navy and the Air Force when conducting combined exercises for the defence of the island’s territorial waters.
The Colombo Naval Exercise (CONEX) organized by the Sri Lanka Navy commenced as an annual exercise of the seagoing force in 2019. CONEX incorporates two phases - Harbour and Sea in which a wide range of naval exercises including passage through mined waters, Replenishment at Sea (RAS) approaches, Towing Exercises (TOWEX) and Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) exercises are undertaken.
The naval exercise serials common to contemporary international fleet exercises is rehearsed during the Sea Phase in order to improve the professional standard of the Sri Lanka Navy fleet. Further, the exercise aims to improve the coordination aspects of fleet manoeuvring necessary to display an impeccable ‘Sail Past’.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
How did you like the post, leave a comment. I would appreciate hearing from you all. Best wishes from JC's Naval, Maritime and Military News